SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University’s Phaze 2 Gallery is hosting “Co-Optic,” a group painting exhibition, October 5-November 4 curated by Ryan Ward, program coordinator for the low-residency graduate program at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art (PAFA) in Philadelphia. An opening reception will take place on Wednesday, October 5, from 5-7 p.m. Both the exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.

Ward hand-selected the work in “Co-Optic” from a wide range of Philadelphia-area artists. Dealing primarily with paint, Ward said the exhibit shows how each artist undertakes a uniquely different exploration of visual perception.

“Circuitries of eye, mind, and hand reveal an intense questioning of what it might mean to translate one’s surroundings into a work of art,” Ward said.